FRED THOMPSON’S disappointed fans have something to cheer about at last.

After sinking to single digits in the polls, the former “Law & Order” actor is making a comeback.

Over the past month, Thompson has walked away from several very strong performances in GOP debates. In the latest one, he held command over the entire field and won the day by refusing to play “hand shows” on stage at the direction of the moderator.

“I said, ‘Nope,’ and everybody pulled their hand down and looked around,” Thompson later recalled.

“I just said to my buddies up there, ‘How are you going to stand up to the leaders of Iran and North Korea if you can’t stand up to an overbearing moderator?’ ”

Thompson also has quietly racked up scores of endorsements from anti-abortion chapters around the country. Those groups are some of the most effective vote herders the GOP has.

And earlier this week, he netted a surprise endorsement from Iowa Rep. Steve King, known in some GOP circles as “the Kingmaker.”

After enduring months of criticism for sporadic and lackluster campaigning, Thompson is now going full-bore on a bus tour of 50 cities and towns around Iowa that his campaign says will reach some 75 percent of projected Republican caucus-goers before Jan. 3.

More than anything else, long-suffering supporters say their spirits have finally been lifted by Thompson’s swagger and enthusiastic demeanor on the trail.

After someone suggested he might still be the conservative dark horse to ride to the White House, he quipped, “Saddle me up!”